Valve-gear for internal-combustion engines.



w BY 4' R. BITTER.

VALVE GEAR FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES. APPLICATION FILED MAR.2I, 1912.

{M w v Patented Apr. 13, 11915.

IWVENTOR,

ATTORNEY.

RUDOLPH "ilLiTTER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNUR OF NE-HALF T0 WILLIAM BUCKINGHAM GRAY AND RALPH BUCKINGHAM GRAY, BOTH 0F GHICAGU,

ILLINOXS.

VALVE-GEAR FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 13, lltlllhl.

Application filed March 21, 1912. Serial No. 685,193.

T aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, RUDOLPH BITTER, a subject of the Prince of Lichtenstein, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, United States of America, have invented new and useful Improvements in Valve-Gears for Tnternah Combustion Engines, of which the following isa specification.

This invention relates to valve gears on internal combustion and explosive engines.

An object of the invention is to simplify the valve gear by dispensing with spring controlled valves.

Another object of the invention is to provide valves which are adapted to control relatively large'ports and to efiect the closing and opening of said ports at predetermined intervals of' time.

Another object of the invention is to effect an absolute closure or opening of the ports at said intervals and to prevent that charges of explosive fuel should be introduced into the cylinders at any other time but before the compression period.

Another object of the invention is to pro vide a valve gear which is thoroughly lubri cated in those portions which require lubrication.

With these and other objects in view I have illustrated an embodiment of my invention in the accompanying drawing and have described the same in the following specification.

Other important features and advantages will be more clearly pointed out in and by the appended claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is an'end elevation partly in section of a four cylinder engine provided with the improved valve gear. Fig; 2 is a section taken at right angles to the section shown in Fig. 1, this section being laid thrqugh a central plane of one of the cylinders and the piston being shown in elevation. Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the engine shown in Fig. 1 to illustrate the driving means for the valve gear, the cover for the driving means being shown removed. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the shaft provided with enlargements serving as rotary valves, and Fig. 5 is part of said shaft on an enlarged scale in elevation and partly in section.

The embodiment illustrated shows a four cylinder motor having the cylinders 11 which are mounted on a splash casing 15. The casing 15 also serves to receive the crank shaft 16 which is rotatably mounted in bearings 17 and 18 of the casing. The pistons 12 of the cylinders 11 are connected wlth the offset portions of the crank shaft 16 by means of the connecting rods 13 in the manner illustrated in'the drawings or in any other suitable way. A water. jacket 14: incloses the upper part ofall of the cylinders and is provided with passages 21 and 22 which communicate with the inlet and outlet ports 19 and of the cylinders. Adjacent the inlet and outlet ports of the cylinders the water jacket is provided with hearing portions 23, in which shafts 24 are rotatablv supported. L

Each shaft has a plurality of enlarge ments 25, the number of these enlargements being equal to the number of the cylinders of the motor. The enlargements 25 are in engagement with the walls of the bearing portions 23, while the thinner part 26 of the shaft 24 is supported, in the ball bearing 27, shown in section in Fig. 4. The enlargements 25 are adjacent the inlet and outlet ports 19 and 20, respectively, and each of them is provided with a recess 28 extending from the circumference of the enlargement toward the axis of the shaft, but terminating at a short distance therefrom. The end walls and bottom of the recesses 28 are straight surfaces, as may be seen from Figs. 4: and 5.

It is obvious that in the rotation of the shaft 24 the inlet 19 is brought into communication with the inlet passage 21 and the outlet 20 is brought into communication with .the outlet passage 22, both of these communications being therefore closed and opened intermittently. When the shafts are in the position shown in Fig. 2 both of the ports are closed and the piston is at the end of-the compression stroke. During the exhaust stroke of the piston the enlargement 25 controlling the outlet 20 will be in a position in which the gases from the interior of the cylinder. may be exhausted and a short time afterward the other enlargement will free the inlet port 19. so that a new charge of fuel may be admitted into the cylinder. Any desirable means for igi'iiting the charge may be used.

From Fig. 4 it will be seen that the recesses 28 are angularly offset with respect to each other so that similar operations of the piston in the different cylinders are performed successively. It is obvious that a smaller or larger number of cylinders disposed in alinement may be controlled by one valve shaft of this construction, the number of recesses being equal to the number of cylinders.

Fig. 3 ;shows the driving means for two valve shafts 24 which are driven in the same direction. A driving chain 29 extends from sprocket 30 on the crank shaft 16 over guiding sprockets 31 to sprockets .32 and 33, which are rigidly mounted on the shafts 24. Fig.3 shows this driving chain diagrammatically, a' part of the chain only being shown as being provided with links. The entire chain-may run in oil and for this purpose a cover 34 is placed over the chain, as clearly shown in Fig.1.

Longitudinal adjustment of the shaft 24 may be obtained by loosening or tightening a cap nut 35 which presses against a ball 36 in engagement with one end of the shaft. For the purpose of lubricating the entire valve gear and the chain, a pump 37 is-provided which is driven in a suitable manner from the driving chain 29, said chain passing over a sprocket 38 mounted on the shaft 39. This pump withdraws the oil from the splash casing 15 through the pipe 40 and conveys the oil through the pipe 41 into the space confined by the cover 34 and wherein the driving chain 29 is mounted. The pipe 42 returns the lubricating means from the casing ,of the driving chain to the splash casing.

From the pipe 41 branches 43 lead to the bearing portions 23 of the water jackets, each ofsaid branches opening into said bearing portions between two enlargements and for this purpose each of the enlargements '25 is provided with a passage 45 which extends through the enlargement parallel to the axis of the shaft. Small vanes 44 adjacent passages 45 serve for conveying the oilinto the passages 45 and in the rotation of the shaft this oil is forced from said passages through the radial apertures 47 against the walls of. the bearing portions, to lubricate the same. I

When the motor is started the shafts 24 are rotated and in predetermined intervals the inlet ports and outlet ports of the various cylinders are either obstructed by the solid portions of the enlargements or are brought into communication with the inlet and outlet possages respectively, through the recesses 28. The area of the ports is utilized to its fullest extent on account of the relatively large area of the recesses through which the fuel and exhaust gases will pass, and for similar reasons a perfect closure of said passages is obtained.

I claim:

1. In an internal combustion engine, the combination of a plurality of cylinders, each having an inlet and an outlet port, a shaft rotatably mounted adjacent to said inlet ports, another shaft rotatably mounted adjacent to said outlet ports, enlargements on said shafts opposite said ports, the number of said enlargements being equal to the number of cylinders each of said enlargements being provided with a recess having straight end walls and a straight bottom wall, the bottom walls of the different recesses being angularly offset with respect to each other, the recesses on one shaft being adapted to close and open said inlet ports, the recesses on the other shaft being adapted to close and open said outlet ports, and means for rotating said shafts, to close and open said ports intermittently.

2. In an internal combustion engine the combination of a cylinder having an inlet and an outlet port, valve shafts rotatably mounted adjacent to said ports, bearing portions for said shafts, enlargements on said shafts,engaging said bearing portions, said enlargements being provided with longitudinal passages and radial passages extending from said firstnamed passages toward the walls of said bearing portions, means for conveying oil through said passages, and driving means for said shafts.

3. In an internal combustion engine the combination of a cylinder havin inlet and outlet ports, valve shafts rotatabi y mounted adjacent to said ports, bearing portions for said shafts, enlargements on said shafts engaging said bearing portions, said enlargements being provided with longitudinal passages and radial passages communicating therewith, vanes on said enlargements, means for conveying oil into said bearing portions and driving means for said shafts.

Signed at Chicago, Illinois, this 13th day of March, 1912.

RUDOLPH BITTER.

Witnesses A. I. MORAN, K. SIEGMUND. 

